Realforce (typeset REΛLFORCE) is a brand of keyboard produced by Topre since 2001. Topre have been making capacitive switch keyboards since 1983[1] for various companies in fields such as banking, broadcasting and data entry. Realforce is their first keyboard targeted at general consumers.

History

Topre introduced their Realforce line of keyboards in Japan with the Realforce 106 (Model LA0100), released in June, 2001 for a price of 16,800 yen. At the time, they were producing 500 of these keyboards per month[2]. The first tenkeyless board introduced was the Realforce 89 (Model ND0100). These early keyboards both had PS/2 connectors and were in Japanese JIS layout.

Other noteworthy milestones include their first US ANSI layout keyboard, the Realforce 101 (Model ML0100) released in April, 2003 and their first USB keyboard, the Realforce 89U (Model NF0100) released in December, 2003. Korean Realforce keyboards in ANSI layout with Hangul printed characters were likely introduced around 2007, although there are some Hangul keyboards without confirmed release dates. The first ISO layout keyboard was probably the Realforce 105UFW (Model WE1100), a Finnish layout keyboard released in December, 2009. The standalone Realforce 23U and 23UB numpads were released in August, 2009. Both numpads were discontinued in early 2014, but were re-introduced in September, 2014.

In September, 2011, Topre celebrated their 10th Anniversary by releasing a line of 87U keyboards in Korea[3].

In August, 2012, Topre announced that they would be ceasing production and sale of a number of full size keyboards, including the Realforce 106, 101, 103U and 103UB as they have been largely superseded by the 104U, 104UB and 108U keyboards[4].

In April, 2013, Topre released their first ‘Hi-Pro’ Realforce keyboards. Previously only available on OEM keyboards made for the data input industry, Topre’s high profile (Hi-Pro) spherical keycaps are noted for their reduced hand travel away from the home row and their cupped keycaps reduce the chance of finger slips[5].

First logo

Second logo

Third (current) logo

At Computex Taipei, 2015, Topre presented a modified version of their Type Heaven keyboard with RGB back-lighting. At the same event, they also showcased a prototype Realforce keyboard with analog switches, later revealed to have the model number 'ANKBTP', an acronym for Analog Keyboard Test Product. In demonstrations, a representative from Topre is shown using the ANKBTP to play a portion of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. In another demonstration, a user playing a car racing video-game shows how it is possible to maintain a low speed and then accelerate gradually using the analog switches -- a feat not possible on most traditional keyboard switch designs. These two keyboards made a number of appearances during 2015 and 2016, until Topre unveiled the Realforce RGB in May, 2016 at Computex. The Type Heaven with RGB back-lighting may have been a proof of concept or a stand-in as Topre developed the new case for the Realforce RGB; which will be the first face-lift that the Realforce case has had since it was introduced to the general public in 2001. In October, 2016, Topre announced the Realforce 108UH-ANLG, which has all of the features demonstrated on the ANKBTP. It became available for sale in Japan on the 4th of November, 2016.

In November, 2016, the Realforce RGB was released.

At the Tokyo Game Show, held in September, 2017, Topre revealed a new line of Realforce keyboards[6]. Dubbed the 'Realforce R2', the new keyboards borrow features from the previously released Realforce RGB, including the case and PCB design, and on some R2 models, the APC (Actuation Point Changer) feature. The initial announcement comprised of 8 Japanese-layout models. The 2 standard and 2 standard + silenced models were released in October and November respectively. The 4 APC models were released in December, 2017.

Logo

Topre have used three different logos on their Realforce keyboards. The first one was a very simple blue italicised logo in title case, possibly in Bookmania Black font. The second logo was all grey and upper case with a strike-through effect and the words separated, in a font that is similar to Miedinger Medium or Bold. The second logo also introduced the Latin capital letter turned ‘V’ (Ʌ) in place of the ‘A’. Their third and current logo is white, upper case, and has the turned ‘V’ in red protruding slightly above the rest of the word. This logo appears to be Cincinnatus font.

Design details

General construction

The Realforce keyboard design has remained largely unchanged since it was first introduced, and in fact some elements of the Realforce keyboard remain almost the same as Topre keyboards made as far back as 1987. The case is made of ABS plastic and, in the tenkeyless and full size models, is held shut without the assistance of screws. The Realforce numpads do have screws along the top edge holding the enclosure shut.

There are two height-adjustable feet on top edge of the keyboard, and rubber feet on the front edge. On some models, there are four rubber feet arranged in such a way so that if the height-adjustable feet are deployed, two feet will still be in contact with the desk surface. The main internal components consist of the PCB, metal mounting plate (sometimes painted), Topre switches, and connector cable (with ferrite bead inside the case). The cable is fixed internally via a removal 4-pin connector, generally in the top-right corner with the ground wire attached to the mounting plate.

Internal routing channels run the cable to the centre of the keyboard where it can then be routed externally to the left or right of the keyboard as desired. On some models (mostly tenkeyless variants) there are DIP switches for controlling various functions which can include switching the left Ctrl and Caps Lock keys, enabling/disabling an embedded numeric keypad, enabling/disabling the Windows key and enabling/disabling the Firmware update mode. Some full sized models also have DIP switches which can only be accessed by opening the case. LED indicators for Num Lock, Caps Lock and Scroll Lock are present in the top-right corner of full sized keyboards, and on the keycaps themselves on many of the tenkeyless models.

Keycaps

Realforce keycaps are made of PBT plastic; however, the longer spacebar which is present on ANSI keyboards is made of ABS plastic which has drawn some criticism from the community, to the point of creating demand for a replacement PBT spacebar. According to Topre, ABS plastic was used for the spacebar because of difficulty in estimating shrink rates on PBT plastic resulting in warped spacebars. PBT plastic is generally more resistant to visible wear and retains its finish longer than ABS plastic. This is a problem for the spacebar on ANSI keyboards, which can develop a shiny patch where the finger or thumb hits the key. The use of ABS for the spacebar was especially noticeable on coloured keycap sets released by Topre in 2011 because of the difficulty in closely matching the colour of ABS and PBT plastic which, in general, is difficult to notice on a black or white set of keycaps.

Topre use two printing methods for the legends on their Realforce keycaps. The first, and more popular method, is dye-sublimation and the second is laser etching. They have also released some models with blank ("otaku" style) keycaps. Dye-sublimation is used on both their black and white keycaps. Topre’s black keycaps are not completely black which means that the black ink from the dye-sublimation process can still be seen, although it can be difficult to see in low-light conditions and people who have trouble touch typing should be aware of this. Laser etching is only used on their black keyboards. The gold colour is achieved as a direct result of the laser etching process and a coating is applied over the top to protect the etched legends. Topre’s laser etching is not as durable as their dye-sublimation and perhaps for that reason, it is not as popular; even on their black keyboards. One of Topre’s OEM keyboards was even released with replacement laser etching keycaps for high-frequency used keys[7].

Although subtle, Topre use two font sizes for their printed legends. The smaller size was used on some of their older keyboards and keyboards that have two language character sets (e.g. English + Hiragana or English + Hangul). The easiest way to tell is to observe the distance between the top of the keycap and the top of the printed legend. The larger font will be much closer to the top edge of the keycap than the small font.

Keycaps can be removed easily with most standard keycap pullers with perhaps the only exception being some plastic ring-pull varieties which can be difficult to attach to the keycap. Some Realforce keyboards come with a Topre keycap puller which is not particularly ideal for larger cap removal and should be used with caution as it has been known to slip off and scratch the keycap during removal attempts. Home row indicators on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys are the homing bar design.

Key weight

Key weight refers to the amount of force required to actuate a key and register a key press on the keyboard. The Realforce keyboard was the first Topre-made keyboard to feature “variable weight” switches. What this means is that keys that are supposed to be pressed with the pinkie/ring fingers, such as ‘1’, ‘Q’, ‘A’ and ‘Z’ on the left and ‘9’, ‘O’, ‘L’, ‘.’ on the right, require less force to actuate than the keys in-between. This is advertised as being a more ergonomic design intended to allow longer typing sessions without fatigue.

There is some debate[Citation needed] about whether or not Topre’s diagram representing the variable force weight distribution is correct. Community measurements have indicated that modern variable force Realforce keyboards actually have three distinct weight levels[Citation needed] of 45 grams, 40 grams and 35 grams (excluding the ‘Esc’ and, on full size keyboards, 'Num Lock' keys which are weighted at 55 grams). It has been noted that earlier Realforce keyboards such as the 86U have only two distinct force levels and that the lightest weight on the 86U is actually 30 grams, not 35 grams. The original Realforce 106 also had 45 grams and 30 grams weighting as mentioned in Hyakkei PC (パソコン百景) monthly Vol.27, dated February, 2003[2]. It’s possible that Topre’s suggested weight distribution diagram was simply not updated when they updated the Realforce keyboards to have three weight levels.
Realforce keyboards with uniformly weighted keys are also made in 30 grams, 45 grams and 55 grams configurations. Uniformly weighted configurations are perhaps more popular with gamers because the popular ‘WASD’ cluster is not made up of differently weighted keys like it is on a variable keyboard.

Tenkeyless variants

Realforce ANSI – 86U and 87U

The Realforce 86U was first introduced in August, 2008 as the 86U (Model SE0500). The 86U line of keyboard had DIP switches, but did not have LED indicators on the Caps Lock or Scroll Lock keys. It also does not have an embedded numpad like the 87U. Perhaps the most popular Realforce keyboard in the western world is the 87U line. They are similar to the 86U, but with some extra features such as an embedded numpad which is activated with the Num Lock key (shared with Scroll Lock), an extra Windows key on the right, between the Alt and Menu keys, and different variable force weighting. Both the 86U and 87U keyboards have been sold with replacement keycaps for Ctrl and Caps Lock, with the 87U having LED windowed versions for both keycaps. Some 87U keyboards also come with lavender keycap replacements for the WASD cluster. In December, 2013, Topre plans to cease production of the 86U Realforce variants[8].

Realforce ISO – 88U

Functionally similar to the Realforce 86U. The 88U does not have an embedded numpad or LED indicators, but it does have the 35 gram and 45 gram weighting of modern 87U keyboards, unlike the 86U. The 88U is unique in that it is probably the Realforce that has been localised for more countries than any other Realforce keyboard. Versions exist in UK, German, French and Swedish/Finnish layout. The popular 87U by comparison only exists in US or Korean languages.

Realforce JIS – 89, 89U, 91, 91U

The 89, 89U, 91 and 91U are the Japanese versions of the Realforce tenkeyless keyboard. The 89 is unique among the tenkeyless Realforce models in that it is the only keyboard that comes in uniform 30 grams weighting. The 89 and 89U are also the only tenkeyless models that don’t have any Windows keys. The 89 and 91 are the only variants that have models with PS/2 connectors. The 91U also has the distinction of being the only tenkeyless Realforce variant with a blank model. A limited edition 89 (Model ND31BS) was used for the 10th anniversary of Realforce in Japan, although it was actually released in 2012, about 6 months after the 87U 10th anniversary keyboards.

Full size variants

Realforce ANSI – 101, 103U, 104U and 106U

The 101, 103U, 104U and 106U make up Topre’s line of ANSI layout Realforce keyboards. The 101 is basically a copy of the IBM Enhanced Keyboard layout. It probably has the same 30 grams / 45 grams weighting as the 86U. The 103U adds a single Windows key between Ctrl and Alt on the left, and a Menu key on the right between Alt and Ctrl. The 103U is also the only known Realforce model that has Chinese Zhuyin characters. The 104U is perhaps the most popular full sized Realforce keyboard in the west. Unlike the 101 and 103U, it exists in popular uniform 45 grams weighting. The 104U, along with the 106U, are the only full size ANSI Realforce variants with models that have DIP switches. The 104U is also the only Realforce variant that has models with high profile spherical keycaps. The 106U, not to be confused with the JIS layout 106, is an ANSI keyboard produced for the Korean market. The addition of the left 한자 (Chinese character) and right 한/영 (Korean-English) keys is the only layout difference between the 106U and 104U keyboards. The 106U is the only known full size ANSI keyboard with a red mounting plate.

Realforce ISO – 105U

The Realforce 105U, like the 88U, is the Realforce intended for the European market. It comes in the same localised versions as the 88U, with the exception being that there are separate keyboards for Swedish and Finnish layouts. In 2014, online keyboard retailer, 'The Keyboard Shop' introduced 45g uniform weighted keyboards in UK and French layouts which replaced their variable weighted models. Instead of using new model numbers, they reused the model numbers WE21B0 and WE41B0. When queried about this on their twitter account, The Keyboard Shop responded that they were instructed to reuse the model numbers by Topre[9]. This is perhaps the first known instance of model numbers being reused for different keyboards.

Realforce JIS – 106, 106U and 108U

The 106, 106U and 108U are the Japanese full size Realforce variants. The 108U adds a Windows key and a Menu key. Modern 108U keyboards (as well as the modern 89/91U tenkeyless boards) replace the 無変換 (Muhenkan), 変換 (Henkan) and カタカナ/ひらがな (Katakana/Hiragana) with much simpler circular legends for the Muhenkan and Henkan keys and a ‘KANA’ key for Hiragana/Katakana. A simple ‘E / J’ key takes the place of 半角/全角 (Hankaku/Zenkaku) on these keyboards, too. Interestingly, there are quite a few Japanese full size keyboards that employ uniform 30 grams switches. There are currently seven known uniform 30 grams full size JIS Realforce models, compared to only one available in ANSI layout, and no option for ISO users. The only known 45 grams silenced Realforce keyboard is also a full size JIS model.

Realforce RGB

The Realforce RGB marks the most drastic departure from the traditional Realforce design, which has remained largely unchanged since its introduction in 2001. It is clearly aimed at the more contemporary gamer crowd and as such, has a number of features that appeal to this crowd. Milestone features for the Realforce brand that are present on the RGB include:

Realforce R2

The Realforce R2 is a re-design of the base Realforce model, borrowing elements from the Realforce RGB released roughly a year earlier. It's not known if Topre plans to cease production of the traditional Realforce models at this stage, however, as of January 2018, Topre were still supplying traditional Realforce keyboards to South Korean distributor 'Leopold'[10]. As of November 2018 Fujitsu Computer Products of America has announced availability of ANSI Full size and Tenkeyless models of the Realforce R2 models.[11]This includes the Realforce R2 PFU Limited Edition and Realforce R2 models with variable weight, 45g, and 55g models being sold via Amazon or Fujitsu Computer Products of America directly.

The features borrowed from the Realforce RGB include:

A completely new case design

On APC models: Actuation Point Change (APC) technology, allowing the user to select from 3 different actuation points (1.5, 2.2, or 3.0mm)

Unlike the Realforce RGB, the R2 does not use Cherry MX compatible stems or keycaps; instead, the traditional Topre slider design and keycaps are used. This allows the R2 models to continue using PBT keycaps instead of the double-shot ABS keycaps that were chosen for the Realforce RGB. The R2 and its components are made and assembled in Japan[6].

The APC models come with moulded key spacer inserts for main alphanumeric cluster of keys that reduce the travel of the switches to 2mm and 3mm. For this reason, they also come with a keycap puller. Topre has also replaced their folded steel "tweezer" keycap puller with a more common wire loop design. The key spacer inserts are also sold separately, and include moulded sets for the alphanumeric cluster and WASD keys, and 10 individual spacers that can be used on any single-unit keycaps. APC models also have 4 additional keys in the top-right corner, similar to the Realforce RGB. These keys have the same function as they do on the Realforce RGB: 'Mute', 'Volume Up', 'Volume Down', and 'APC'. The 'APC' key switches between the three adjustable actuation points (1.5, 2.2, or 3.0mm).

Number pads

The Realforce 23UB numpad

Realforce 23U

The Realforce 23U is a standalone USB numpad introduced in August, 2009 with two models. Both models have the same features and design, the only difference being the colour. They have functions that would make them suitable in an accounting/banking environment and also include DIP switches. DIP switch 1 alters the Tab, BS, Shift and = keys to the function printed on the front of the keycap. DIP switch 2 changes the 00 key to 000, DIP switch 3 links/unlinks the Num Lock key to an already connected numpad. DIP switch 4 controls the Normal operation and Setting prohibited modes. By early 2014, both numpads had been discontinued, with Topre stating they had no plans to start making them again. In June, 2014 a Japanese blog post suggested that the numpads would be available for purchase again in September, 2014[12]. Indeed this proved to be the case, and as of January, 2015 the 23U and 23UB are both available from numerous resellers in Japan and the west.

Realpoint

Realpoint refers to a series of Topre made keyboards that have integrated pointing sticks and mouse buttons. They appear in a PDF document dated December 2000 showcasing three models[13]. Two models are compact, short throw style keyboards and the third appears to be a modified Realforce 106 or FD0100. No real life images of a Realpoint board are known to exist and no further information is known about these boards other than that which appears in the PDF; for this reason they can be considered extremely rare.

Model name legend

Some features of a Realforce keyboard can be determined by letters in the model number or model name. The following table should be used as a reference only, as it seems that there are some inconsistencies with usage. An example is that W is used to denote the case/enclosure colour as being white, but sometimes the W is omitted completely, and only the black model is indicated with a B.

Letter / Number

Example

Comments

## / ###

87U / 103UB

Used to denote the number of keys.

Note: On some models, a second number is added which refers to the key weight (e.g. 87UKW55, 104U-KB45).

U

87U

Keyboard is a USB model. PS/2 models will not be marked with a 'U' (e.g. 101, 89S).

P

108P-S

Keyboard is a PS/2 model. As of May 2016, this has only been used once for the 108P-S.

W

87UW

Keyboard case/enclosure is white.

B / BK

87UB / 91UBK

Keyboard case/enclosure is black.

S

89S / 108UH-S

Keyboard utilises "silenced" switches. Dampening is achieved using a foam & plastic washer between the slider's base plate and the switch housing's ceiling.

Note: On some models, the 'S' only appears in the model number (e.g. XD01KS/XD11KS).

G

108UG-HiPro / 91UGS

Keyboard has grey keycaps.

Note: The 91UDK-G does not have grey keycaps. It's unknown what the 'G' represents for this model, but it might refer to 'Gamer' as this keyboard comes with WASD replacement caps.

F

105UFB / 105UFW

Used for two Finnish layout keyboards.

K

103UKW / 104U-KB45

Keyboard is a Korean model with Hangul characters printed alongside the English letters on the keycaps.

Note: On some models, the 'K' only appears in the model number (e.g. ML01K0/ML11K0).

H

108UH / 108UH-S

Keyboard has uniform 45g weighted keys.

D

108UD-A / 87UD55-10th

Unknown but could possibly have multiple meanings.

In the case of the XE#### range, 'D' was used for the 108UD-A which is the black, sublimation model. The 108UB-A is the black, lasered model. Could also refer to DIP switches. 'D' is also used for the 10th anniversary ANSI keyboards.

10th

87USD-10th / 89S-10th

Used on limited edition keyboards to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Realforce.

Y

91UBY

Likely refers to the yellow keycaps that came standard on the 91UBY.

A

108UB-A / 108U-A

Distributor branding for 'Ark', a Japanese computer store who introduced the XE#### range of Realforce keyboards.

EK

87UB-EK45 / 87UWV-EK

Distributor branding for 'Elite Keyboards', a North American premium keyboard store.

Topre OEM keyboards

Topre also make keyboards that are not marketed under the 'Realforce' brand. See the list of Topre OEM keyboards for details.

Manufacturing dates

Unfortunately, Topre do not seem to provide a date of assembly anywhere on their keyboards. What they do provide though are manufacturing dates on the PCB and switch mounting plate. These date stickers are located on the back of the PCB and on the front of the mounting plate. This means that it's easy to pop the case off and have a look without having to undo any screws, with the exception of some Topre OEM keyboards and the Realforce numpads which have a few screws holding the enclosure shut.

The red highlighted areas on the images below indicate the date section. The format is Y MM DD #### (Year, Month, Day, 4-digit number). The fourth number most likely indicates the order that the PCB/mounting plate came off the assembly line. The example images below were both taken from the EDIUS III keyboard and have the same '0060' number, but in many cases, the PCB and mounting plate numbers will differ even on the same board.

It's unfortunate that Topre only use a single digit for the year as it makes it a nuisance to identify, but in most cases it's pretty obvious, especially with Realforce branded keyboards as they were only manufactured after 2000. Recently released Realforce keyboards generally have well documented release dates anyway so it shouldn't be too difficult to identify the year.